Football: Wildcats are in a Georgia State of mind

Friday

Oct 5, 2012 at 3:15 AMOct 5, 2012 at 5:34 AM

By Al Pikeapike@fosters.com

DURHAM – The University of New Hampshire football team avoided a potentially fatal 0-2 start in the Colonial Athletic Association with last week's win over previously undefeated Delaware.“In my mind you're not going to win the league with two losses,” said coach Sean McDonnell. “Everybody wants to stay in the hunt.”That makes Saturday's game (3:30 p.m.) at winless Georgia State just as important as the Wildcats try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.“The CAA's a very tough conference,” said sophomore tight end Brian Ciccone. “You can't be coming out 0-2.”Sophomore quarterback Andy Vailas was named CAA player of the week for his role in the Wildcats' comeback against the then eighth-ranked Blue Hens, who led 7-0 at halftime and held UNH to 63 total yards in the first half.Vailas, who will be making his fourth career start Saturday, threw two touchdown passes to RJ Harris and ran for another score in the second half as the Wildcats scored 34 unanswered points in the 34-14 victory.“It's not a question of talent with Andy Vailas,” McDonnell said. “He's got a world of talent. He's getting better all the time. The big thing is how you keep progressing.” UNH outgained Delaware 410-30 over the first 26 minutes of the second half.“We decided that running the ball against them wasn't the best idea,” Vailas said. “So we decided to spread it out and throw a little bit more and that ended up opening up the running game.”As was the case with Old Dominion, the No. 14/17 Wildcats (3-2) could be playing Georgia State for the first and last time. The Panthers (0-5), who play in an NFL Stadium (the Georgia Dome) and are coached by a former NFL player (Bill Curry), are moving up to the FBS level next season.“It's a good opportunity to show what we can do on a big stage,” Ciccone said.Georgia State, which is averaging only 10 points per game, has had trouble holding onto the ball this season.The Panthers are a league-worst minus-13 in turnover differential while UNH is first in the CAA with a plus-7.Georgia State is coming off a 35-3 loss to William & Mary for their fifth straight setback. The Panthers haven't scored more than 14 points in any one game.“Every game is a big game to us,” said junior defensive end Cody Muller. “Georgia State's record doesn't mean anything.” The Wildcats had six sacks against Delaware and two interceptions by Dontra Peters, who was named CAA defensive player of the week.The defense rebounded from the previous week's 64-61 loss at Old Dominion in which the Wildcats allowed 730 passing yards.“It was great to see,” Vailas said. “They kept us in the game.”UNH pressured the quarterback against Delaware which took some of the pressure off a secondary that was missing free safety Chris Beranger (concussion).“It was just hustle,” Muller said. “People came with energy. We always talk about straining for six seconds of play and that's what happened.”Beranger will miss Saturday's game as well. The Wildcats also played without defensive tackle Jared Smith last week and lost linebacker Alan Buzbee early in the second quarter with a concussion.Smith (knee) is questionable for Saturday's game, but Buzbee is expected to play as the Wildcats take on an unfamiliar opponent.Except for junior defensive tackle Theo Agnew, whom UNH recruited. He eventually went to UMass before transferring to Georgia State.The Panthers started their fifth different quarterback last week in two years and third in five games this season in redshirt freshman Ronnie Bell, a transfer from Ohio. “The scary thing is you don't know much about them athletically,” said McDonnell, who is seeking his 100th career coaching win.McDonnell has fond memories of the Wildcats only previous trip to Georgia when they upset perennial power Georgia Southern, 27-23, in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs.It was the program's first postseason win and the first of eight consecutive playoff appearances, the longest active streak in the nation.“It was a prime time 6 o'clock game on Thanksgiving weekend in a place that had so much history for I-AA/FCS football,” McDonnell said. “Everything about that was cool. It was our first playoff game after a long time away from it.“It's a lot better when you win,” McDonnell added. nnnWhen asked about being on the verge of his 100th career coaching win McDonnell said, “A lot of people have done it.”UNH hockey coach Dick Umile, who is sitting on 499 career wins, holds his colleague in high regard.“He's lost three or four offensive coordinators and they continue to win and score points,” Umile said. “He's a fierce, fierce competitor. I'd play for him in half a heartbeat. He's an incredible motivator. He wears it on his sleeve. That's why his players play the way they play for him.”nnnRedshirt freshman quarterback Sean Goldrich, who started the first two games but injured his shoulder on the third offensive play against Minnesota, isn't quite ready to return.“Until Sean Goldrich is 100 percent and has the ability to do what he was doing we're not going to approach that yet,” McDonnell said. “He can play but he's not 100 percent, and I don't know how long that's going to take.”